Happy Valentines
Mark Bourrie at Ottawa Watch looks to be on the receiving end of a Mr. K. slapsuit. He is going to need some help with legal costs. Here is the link to donate.
I write a lot about freedom of speech. Part of that freedom is the right to fight bogus libel suits filed to stifle debate. I wrote about this particular abuse here.
Now it is time to put up or shut up. Mark needs our help. As any blogger may find himself or herself at the wrong end of Mr. K’s propensity for legal action, it is critical that we reach into our PayPal pockets and give what we can.
Update #1:
For those of you just joining us Mark Bourrie wrote ” He was a key actor in the sponsorship kickback scandal.” Mark suggests that his pronoun referred to Chuck Guite rather than Mr. K, however, Mr. K. is litigating the ambiguity suggesting that Mark’s words made Mr. K. a key actor. Actors have many roles and Mr. K’s was to write memos,
A memo tabled Wednesday made it clear Guite was recommended for the job by the office of Dave Dingwall, then federal public works minister. Warren Kinsella, who served as Dingwall’s chief of staff, wrote on Nov. 23, 1995 — less than a month after the referendum — that “recent experience” had shown the need to centralize federal ad strategy.
The same centralized approach should apply to public opinion polling and other communications programs, he said.
Public Works was the logical department to review past practices and put new procedures in place, Kinsella wrote.
“In my view Mr. J. C. Guite … should be assigned to carry out this review on a full-time basis,” he told Ran Quail, the deputy minister at Public Works.
“It is requested that he (Guite) be assigned to a position that will allow him to carry out these tasks.”
ctv
It was a stellar performance but it takes a rather guilty conscience to raise its description to suggest “The clear meaning of the Libelous Words is that Mr. Kinasella acted unethically and/or illegally.” Mark suggested no such thing and Mr. K knows it.
Update #2:
Great to see Greg Staples, Bob Tarantino, Kathy Shaidle, Daiman Penny and a host of other blogs refuse to let Mr. K get away with this sort of nastiness.
Update #3:
Welcome Instapunditeers…this is not about me so go visit Mark Bourrie then come on back for Canadian free speech in action.
Update #4:
What fun. Captains Quarters has chapter and verse on Kinsella from Gomery.
The matter died there. Mr. Quail decided that Mr. Kinsella’s memo was a mistake by an inexperienced political staffer who did not know better than to attempt to give direction to a senior public servant on how to organize his department. Mr. Dingwall testifies that he does not remember the incident, but assumes that he must have instructed Mr. Kinsella to write the memo.64 As to why he would have wanted Mr. Guité to be given important new responsibilities, the record is unclear.
gomery report, captains quarters
“Inexperienced political staffer”…nice. As Mr. K would say, really kicks ass.
Update #5:
Yesterday, lost in the shuffle, Antonia Zerbisias proposed that she act as Judge Judy as between Mark and Mr. K. This is a very, very good idea and the parties might want to think about taking her up on the offer.
The Canadian blogoshere is just developing its norms and guides to conduct. It would be an excellent precedent to have a dispute de-escalate and an even better one to have a neutral third party informally arbitrate as between the parties.
Update #6:
Over at the Zerb’s post offering to play Judge Judy, Mark Bourrie posts, “I’m game.” Ball’s in Warren’s court, so to speak.
Written by jay on February 15th, 2006 with
11 comments.
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jay
paul a’barge
rosignol
Canonymous
#1. February 15th, 2006, at 4:25 AM.
How odd. Pleading evidence and all.